Eastertide
May 27, 2017
Scripture Reading: John 17:1-11
After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. –John 17:1-5
What connotation do we give to the word “glorify”? Do we turn it into condescending slang? When we use the word glorified are we saying someone or something is overrated? The Greek word translated glorify, doxazó* means to ascribe weight by recognizing real substance (value). It seems what Jesus is saying here is that he is ready to fulfill his calling come what may. Hebrews 5:5 describes this phenomenon, So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’.
I think the disciples knew Jesus was special; I doubt they knew he was who he was before the resurrection. Some I am sure wondered, and others like Peter turned hot and cold. The disciples often did not understand him, but they knew they wanted to be around him. He had charisma. We are even jaded in that department. We encounter folks with charisma who use it for selfish gain.
Why is he saying this in the presence of his disciples? Why was it retained for us to read today? Jesus promises eternal life and says that eternal life is knowing God and is available through an encounter with Jesus. Jesus is setting the example for us to follow. He is glorifying us through our relationship with him so that we can pass on to others the real substance of the God who is love.
.Prayer: Lord make us worthy of your trusting us to carry forth your mission as the Body of Christ in the world today. Amen.